


The Man in Apartment 12

by GinDiva



Category: Holby City
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Fluff, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-10 08:31:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11123550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinDiva/pseuds/GinDiva
Summary: AU set shortly after Bernie’s blown back to Holby by the IED. Bernie is living in an apartment recovering (slowly) from her injuries. Serena is her (long-suffering) physiotherapist.





	The Man in Apartment 12

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Yorkshire Lass for giving me a boot up the backside to type this up and share it.

“Good Afternoon Bernie” she calls out as she lets herself in through the door of the apartment. “I have some news to cheer you up, they are working on fixing that lift so you might be able to get yourself out of these four walls soon.” Serena casts her eye out of the large window that spans the width of the living room and frowns a little, the gloomy grey clouds still pouring their contents down across the courtyard outside. She glances across to Bernie, who makes an unintelligible grunt in response to her cheeriness, sat rigidly in her chair, her face as gloomy and downcast as the weather.

“So how are we doing today?” Serena knows her voice is overly bright in a vague effort to try and lift the spirits of the Major.

Bernie swivelled her wheelchair away from the rain spattered window pane and faced Serena before answering. “I’ve smashed my favourite mug trying to make a cup of tea and bashed my knee on the corner of that” Bernie stabbed an accusatory finger out towards the object of her ire “bloody table again. So all in all I’m not full of the joys of Spring. How about you Ms Campbell?” Bernie sneered back at her.

Despite her tone, Bernie Wolfe really rather liked Serena Campbell and truth be told quite looked forward to her physio appointments but she had been achy and stiff when she woke this morning and it had just gone downhill from there. She didn’t mean to take it out on the woman but being confined to her apartment and having so few visitors was not helping her keep her perspective.

“OK so you’re not having one of your best days. Not to worry, we’ll just see how we get on and play it by ear today.” Serena knew by now that when the Major was in this kind of mood not to push her, just do her best to read the responsiveness of her body to the treatment and the occasional wince in her usually impassive expression, any attempt to argue with her would meet stubborn and unflinching resistance and set back her recovery. “So where would you like to start, neck strengthening or light resistance on your legs?”

“How about you start heading back to your car and I’ll work on some arm exercises involving me and a double measure of a nice single malt.” Bernie’s words might have been more cutting if she was not trying to hide a slightly impish grin under her messy blonde curls. Serena fixed her with one of her wilting stares and merely cocked an eyebrow in the direction of the army surgeon, daring Bernie to defy her.

“OK, OK I give up” Bernie always capitulated when it came to Serena. Although she continued to be annoyed by her frustratingly slow recovery, she realistically knew if it hadn’t been for Serena or more specifically the persuasive charms of her husky tones, sinful curves and quite frankly spellbinding brown eyes, it would have been a lot slower.

Serena placed her bag down beside Bernie and got out her lightest leg weights, strapping one to Bernie’s ankle gently. “Come on Major, you know the drill by now, show me what you can do. Tell me when it’s getting too much, OK?”

“I’m not feeling my best today Serena, can we skip this please?” Bernie was still grumbling and uncooperative despite Serena’s gentle encouragement.

“Try a few repetitions first for me please. Then we will move onto your neck. Once you have done that we’ll massage the muscles that are still aching, I don’t have to be in the hospital today, so I have a little time if we over-run.”

As much as Bernie knew it was a self-destructive path, she could never resist the opportunity to have Serena touch her without the encumbrance of fabric between them. It was torture for Bernie, as it only served to intensify the longing she harboured to feel the other woman’s skin rubbing against her own, her mind projecting images against the bare walls, sometimes it was just a chaste brush of lips to cheek, more often a more fevered version that left her with an entirely different kind of ache.

Bernie had always thought Serena was attractive, right from that first meeting in the hospital when she had come in to discuss her rehabilitation and physiotherapy plans. At the time, Marcus was sat right beside her, holding her hand and encouraging her through it. Bernie recalled the guilt she had felt wishing him to be elsewhere so she could admire the particular delights of Ms Campbell without having to hide it, wanting the chance to openly flirt with the gorgeous doctor and gauge her response. She had known that being home, it was time to confront things and although her relationship with Alex was over long-since, it was unfair on Marcus not to acknowledge that she was now a different person to the one he married, the feelings were the same, but it was the clarity of understanding and what that meant for their lives that had irrevocably shifted.

Whether Serena was an unwitting catalyst or it was just a coincidence Bernie still cannot say, but that same afternoon she sat Marcus down and laid the facts bare for him, her heart-breaking as she observed the devastation cross the face of the man she had and still did love very dearly.

The next time Serena had visited it was for her discharge and outpatient rehabilitation plan.

“Husband not here today, I thought he'd be looking forward to getting you home?” Serena remarked almost casually as she ran through the rehab details with Bernie.

“We don’t have a home anymore, well not one we will share.” Serena furrowed her brows slightly as the blonde continued, “Divorce petition already filed.”

“He seemed very keen to have you home, no chance of reconciliation?”

“Not likely. I think telling him I am a lesbian might just have put the final nail in that particular coffin.” Bernie tried to be light-hearted but it was the first time she had actually said the words aloud and her voice was catching slightly. Peering to her left through her fringe she attempted to idly observe the reaction of the woman next to her. If she was hoping for a glimmer of surprise or a spark of interest at this information, she was to be disappointed.

“Well it might make your rehab a bit more challenging without the support of a spouse, do you have a partner to assist you?” Serena’s face still cast down to Bernie’s notes.

“No, I’m flying solo on this one.”

“Well I’m sure we’ll manage to get you back on your feet soon, Major.” Serena gently laid a comforting hand to her shoulder and gave her a tight smile before sliding the notes back into the holder at the end of the hospital bed.

That had been 7 weeks ago and despite Bernie investing in additional home physio appointments with Serena she was still not back to where she wanted to be.

“One more time, please Bernie” Serena coaxed her to keep going, but knew Bernie’s patience for today was wearing thin. Bernie pushed back against Serena’s soft hands pressed to her cheek, working the muscles around her neck. “Harder.”

Bernie gulped hard at smutty effect that one simple word in Serena’s commanding tones had on her brain and tried to relax and refocus on the exercises as instructed. She had long since given up any lingering hope that Serena would be interested in her in that way. Due to her private nature Bernie was not one for chit-chat during her physio sessions, so Serena did most of the talking, this had afforded the army medic a very clear view of the entirely heterosexual romantic history of the woman whose hand was lightly pressed to her burning cheek. Still a girl could dream.

“So what does the rest of your day hold for you Major?” Serena ceased the pressure on the side of her face and started to pack her weights back into her bag, the sign that her workout was done for the day.

“Oh you know, the usual 5 mile jog, maybe night out, bit of clubbing perhaps.”

“Less of the sarcasm Major Wolfe, these hands can bring pain as well as pleasure you know.” Serena winked down at Bernie as her hands started to work the tight muscles of the medic’s neck. Bernie let out an almost inaudible gasp at Serena's outrageous flirting; a fire burning in the pit of her stomach as she clenched her fists tightly to try and control her bodily reaction.

Bernie composed herself, clearing her throat of the lump that had formed, before responding, “Not a lot to do around here, I read a bit but mostly I enjoy watching the comings and goings through the window. Everyone has their routine you see, and I find it oddly comforting. Proof that everyday life goes on.”

“You sound just like my nephew Jason. Anything interesting happening today then?” Serena had moved her hands away from Bernie’s neck and was now crouched down before her gently rotating her left hip joint and leg.

“Apartment 5 has a new lover who I saw leaving with him this morning, good looking chap, looks like he has a lot of energy if you catch my drift.” From her vantage point Bernie could see the slight smirk that graced Serena’s face before she composed herself once more and moved onto the Bernie’s right leg. “Not seen the lady from Apartment 12 this week, she’s usually very reliable, out to work early and home in time to cook dinner for the husband; besides that nothing to report.”

“Well if it's not keeping you entertained, then I guess you will have to get stuck into your book, or better still some of these exercises I left you.” Serena stood and gently tapped one of her short, but perfectly manicured fingernails to the printed page of neck stretches that she had left a few weeks back and still lay untouched in the same location.

Bernie pivoted her chair and started to wheel back over to the window, before turning to glance over her shoulder at Serena who was just closing up her bag. “Book it is then” she smirked at the brunette.

XXXXXX

“Bernie Wolfe what are you doing?” Serena shook her head at the sight of the army medic once again up against the apartment windows, this time with a pair of binoculars trained onto the courtyard below.

“Just watching what’s going on. Much clearer view with these.” She pulled the glasses from her face and tapped them.

“If you get seen watching your neighbours through those, you will get a visit from the police.”

“I’ll just have to make sure I don’t get seen then won’t I, Serena Campbell. I was in the army you know, stealthy intelligence gathering and all that.”

Serena regarded her dubiously before kneeling down to her bag and getting her weights ready. “So how have you got on since I last saw you?”

“Hmm” Bernie dragged her attention away from the window for a moment. “ Oh, a bit less sore, but still not the strength or full motion I would want at this stage.”

“Bernie, you have to be more patient, your body has been through a massive trauma, it needs time to heal and you need to do your part in helping it along. Listening and doing as I ask would be a good start." Serena scolded Bernie but her words were softened by an affectionate glance in the Major's direction.

“Yes I know all that but I just wish it would hurry up and I wish this blasted rain would stop. I have not been able to get out yet despite them fixing the lift.”

“Funny you should say that, it’s got another out of order sign on it again today.”

Bernie just growled and turned back to the window.

“So how is the romance in Apartment 5 going?” Serena asked idly as she gathered the weights and approached Bernie.

“Still going, but I think it might fizzle out soon. That energetic young man is clearly wearing him out, he’s starting to look very tired, if they carry on at this pace it might just finish him off!” Serena lightly placed a hand on Bernie’s shoulder and she swivelled, spotting the weights in Serena’s grasp and rolling her eyes.

“There are worse ways to go.” Serena bent to affix the cuff to Bernie’s leg.

“I think I know that better than most don’t you?” Bernie retorted more sharply than she intended before tensing her muscle and lifting her leg working against the extra weight it carried.

Knowing where this was heading Serena searched for a topic to distract Bernie’s mind from the horrors of the IED that had landed her in this situation in the first place. “Don’t go all maudlin on me Major. Anyway has the lady in the other apartment returned yet?”

“Still no sign, looks like he has a fancy woman though, much younger than him, she showed up the other night.”

“There will be a perfectly innocent reason; it might be his daughter.” Bernie just tilted her head at Serena’s suggestion. Serena chuckled throatily at the idea. “Ok maybe you're right perhaps while the wife is away on holiday he's having a little adult playtime but there's no crime in that is there?”

Bernie shook her head and waved her hands animatedly as she spoke. “If she's on holiday then why is her car is still there and why didn’t I see her leave after she returned from work? It’s been over a week since I’ve spotted her.”

“Well maybe she left when you weren’t looking.  You’re doing well, 10 more reps on that leg then we’ll switch to the other.

“Unlikely I’ve not left this apartment in weeks now. ”

Serena shook her head incredulously. “What are you saying Bernie? He has bumped her off. Come on this is the 21st century not some black and white film plot.”

Bernie huffed at Serena’s mocking. “No just it’s odd that’s all. Can I take a quick break before we start on the other leg, it is hard work today.”

“Well if you had done your exercises it would have been easier. Come on let's get to work on the other leg.” Bernie forgot for a while about the neighbourhood shenanigans as Serena focused her on the stretching and lifting of her weakened frame.

XXXXXX

“Good evening Major.” Serena called out as she entered Bernie’s apartment. “I’m afraid I got soaked on the way in, forgot to bring my umbrella, the heavens opened and I missed seeing a rather large puddle in the dark and planted both my feet in it. Mind if I slip my shoes off? Save leaving a wet trail across your floor.”

“Yes, yes as you like” came the distracted reply.

Serena discarded her shoes and hung her coat on the hooks by the door, trying and failing to stop the droplets of water from her jacket soaking Bernie’s dry coat next to it.

“Don’t suppose you have a spare towel I could use do you?”

“In the bathroom, help yourself.”

Serena was in the process of towelling her hair off when she stepped into the living room for the first time, realising in shock that it was in total darkness. “Bernie? Are you in here?”

“Yes over here by the window”

“Why are all the lights switched off?”

“Shush, just come over here.”

“Mind if a I switch a light on first” Serena groped around for the light switch that should be somewhere on the wall nearby.

“No! Don’t touch the lights” the tone was very much the army Major and Serena froze on the spot. “Just come over here carefully.”

Serena approached slowly, her eyes adjusting to the lack of light gradually. She was somewhat familiar with Bernie’s apartment layout and it had wide spaces to accommodate her wheelchair movement but in spite of this Serena still managed to catch her leg on the corner of a chair and cursed under her breath as the pain shot through her. She could make out the figure of Bernie silhouetted against the faint light coming from the large window and she made her way over.

“Bernie, what on earth are you doing?”

“Apartment 12, she still has not returned. I’m telling you there is something fishy going on.”

“But why are we having to be sat in the dark?” Bernie moved her hands down from her face and passed something across to Serena. It was cold, metallic cylinder, slightly warmed in the places where Bernie’s hands had been grasping it. As Serena turned it in her hands she huffed a sigh it felt like a telescope. Bringing it up to her eye to look through the lens, she growled in annoyance.

“Berenice Wolfe, what in blazes are you doing spying on your neighbours with a night-scope? And where on earth did it come from?”

“The apartment was dark, I couldn’t see what he was doing, so I needed some better equipment.” Bernie muttered back defensively knowing herself that this behaviour was not entirely rational. “I have a friend from the army, he can pretty much get anything. He lent me the night-scope from his decommissioned rifle.”

“I hope you are not perving on the activities in Apartment 5 with that thing!"

“No, like I predicted that fizzled out. It's the missing wife I'm concerned about."

Serena tapped her foot impatiently on the wooden floorboards beneath her feet. “Bernie you are becoming obsessive. If you put as much energy into working on your recovery as you are putting into this fantastical notion you have about your neighbour, you would not be needing me any further. Now come away from the window so I can turn the light on before an imagined death becomes a real one when I kill myself tripping over something.”

“Look Serena, I know you think I’m transferring my issues onto this obsession as you call it, but I have watched everyone come and go in these apartments for weeks, and you learn a lot about human behaviour. I’m telling you something is not right, he keeps creeping around his apartment after dark and he’s moving things around secretly. He’s acting oddly.”

“Pot, kettle darling” Serena huffed but she had to admit from her experience Bernie was usually pretty good at assessing people. “Come on then, let’s get your physio done and I can leave you to your stalking in peace.”

XXXXXX

Bernie was still smarting at Serena's casual rejection of her theories, perhaps it wouldn't bother her if the woman's opinion did not matter as much as it did. She had wheeled back over to the window after the brunette had left and was watching her cross the courtyard after the gruelling exercises she had inflicted. Bernie thought she took a particular delight in making her work hard tonight, maybe in punishment as the army medic had to admit she was neglecting her stretches just a bit. 

Casting a glance across to the blackened windows of the apartment across the way, she thought maybe Serena was right and it was time to give it up and focus on something she could control. She spun her chair around and was stretching her hands out for the long ignored exercises Serena had provided when her phone started to ring, glancing to the screen she was surprised to see Serena’s name.

“Did you forget something Serena?” Bernie curtly enquired, never one for pleasantries on the phone.

“No, look I’m in my car.” Serena was whispering, Bernie could barely make out the words.

“Can you speak up a bit, I can’t hear you very well.”

“No Bernie I can’t. That man, your neighbour he’s dragging a big bin liner out past my car as we speak.” She paused then before continuing. ”He’s just putting it into a skip across the road.”

“You said it yourself it could be perfectly innocent, just putting out the rubbish.” Bernie could not quite believe she was being the voice of reason in this conversation.

“He dragged it past his own wheelie bin and past another skip in your apartment complex to bring it here, Bernie. It would have been far easier to put it into either of those, why would you do that unless you had something to hide? Hold on.” The phone went quiet and Bernie realised she was holding her breath waiting for Serena to speak again. “Sorry about that, had to duck down in my seat as he was coming back.”

“So you think there is something to it now then?” Bernie was not sure if she felt vindicated or more anxious at the thought.

“I don’t know but maybe I was a bit quick to dismiss what you were saying.”

“So what should I do?”

“I guess just keep an eye on things, see if she returns tomorrow. If she doesn’t maybe you should call the police.”

“OK then, will do.”

“Oh and Bernie, be careful please, just in case.” Bernie heard the phone click off and she felt a warm rush infuse her body at the idea that Serena cared enough to be concerned.

XXXXXX

“Bernie, everything OK?” Serena called out into the living room.

“Yes, come on through Serena.” Bernie’s reply drifted in from the other room.

“What happened? What did Robbie say?” Serena asked as she strode towards the Major who was positioned as normal beside the window.

Bernie had been delighted when Serena had been able to pull a few strings to get the police to take her concerns seriously, especially given their scathing reaction to her initial call. This delight had swiftly turned sour when Robbie had come to interview her and during the course of the conversation, she understood exactly how intimately familiar he was with the brunette.

Jealously was not a familiar emotion to Bernie. She had never had any cause to be jealous with Marcus and as much as she had loved Alex it was a passionate, fiery love that burned hot and fast but cooled just as quickly lacking the depth of feeling required for that sensation to grow.

Now she felt its full intensity as Robbie described his relationship with Serena, discussing the very same flirtatious tones that Bernie herself enjoyed, the cheeky wink, the quirk of the eyebrow and when he went on to talk about how she looked first thing in the morning, it was all she could do to stop herself launching across the room and punching him.

The final straw had been when he let slip that he was only following up on Bernie’s concerns as a favour to Serena. In return, Serena had promised him a dinner date and a lot more beside he hoped, giving Bernie a knowing wink. She felt the nausea sweep over her; her neighbourly concerns had inadvertently thrown Serena back into the arms of this man and with it dashed any last remaining faint hopes of her own.

“Bernie?” Serena’s voice cut through Bernie’s recollections and dragged her back to the original question.

“Hmm. Oh Robbie, yes. Well she’s not been reported as a missing person, they checked with her work and she had booked a holiday for 2 weeks, so there is nothing to investigate. Case closed.”

“Well that’s….” Serena paused and Bernie caught a look of annoyance in her eyes “disappointing. I was hoping that Robbie would do a little more than just that. Especially as I had to spend an entire evening at dinner fending of his lecherous hands.”

Instead of sympathy, Bernie selfishly felt a little flicker of hope light up once again at Serena's obvious distaste for the man.

“Bernie – are you with me at all today?” the blonde shook her head slightly to clear the fog that seemed to cloud her brain whenever Serena was around and gave a word of apology to the brunette before she continued. “So are we just giving up on this whole thing?”

“I can’t Serena, I know what Robbie said but I just can’t help the feeling that there is something wrong. He carried on moving those big bags into that skip across the road under the cover of darkness for most of the night. We’ve got to see inside that apartment, look for something for the police to go on or disprove me once and for all.”

“Bernie, are you mad? That’s breaking and entering, we could end up being the ones arrested.”

“Well that’s the thing, I think it’ll be weeks before I’m in any fit state to be walking around, and by then he could well have done a runner and we’ll have missed the opportunity.”

“Please tell me you are not wanting me to go in there.”

“I’ll be on lookout duty from here, take your mobile and I’ll call if I see him coming back.”

“You are asking me to break into that flat.” Serena looked incredulously at Bernie’s face, finding the blonde returning a shy, hopeful expression that made the brunette's body flush slightly.

“Technically you would not be breaking in. Fletch, the janitor, loaned me his master key.” Bernie waggled her eyebrows in Serena’s direction and brandished the shiny item.

Serena knew she was powerless to resist Bernie, the energy and enthusiasm she was witnessing in the Major that had been so lacking for so long was enough incentive on its own but when she widened her brown eyes into that doe-like expression, it was hopeless.

“I wouldn’t do this for just anyone, you know.” Serena shook her head at her own weakness for Bernie and reached out to take the key from her grasp.

“Don’t worry I’ve got a cool head in a crisis and I’ve very definitely got your back.”

XXXXXX

Bernie had never had any issues in the army with sending her troops into life-threatening situations, she was always stoical about it. She found it rather unsettling now, as she watched Serena make her way across to the opposite block, that she was desperate to call the brunette back and tell her to forget the whole thing. Sending a soldier into a warzone was one thing, sending her physio, no her friend, into the unknown it turns out was another matter entirely. It was too late to back-out now, as Serena was already at the apartment in question and with a final glance around, she slipped the key into the lock and opened the door. Bernie’s scope was focused on every movement Serena made, she watched her carefully scan the apartment, before heading to the back to check the other rooms.

Serena turned with a shrug towards the window when she had been through most of the rooms, conveying to Bernie, who she knew would have her eyes trained on her like a hawk, that there was nothing of interest. There was only the room in the back still to check and Bernie knew the curtains always remained closed on that room, so she would momentarily lose sight of the brunette when she entered.

Bernie’s heart was racing, she just wanted Serena to get out of there now, but the blonde watched on powerless to intervene as she carried on towards the final room, her hand reaching out for the metal door handle and depressing it. As Serena pushed the door open in front of her Bernie witnessed the shock pass across the brunette’s face and her hand fly up to her mouth before she stepped forwards and out of her line of sight.

So focused had Bernie been on Serena that she had not seen the car returning, she had not seen the man and the pretty young lady accompanying him step into the block of flats, she had only seen them as they approached the apartment door and now Serena was trapped. She snatched at her phone and it slipped from her grasp disappearing from her reach as the man walked through his front door, the woman closely behind. Bernie pummelled her fists against the windowpane in front of her in her futile attempts to alert her friend, a strangled cry of Serena’s name erupting from her lips as she saw the man angrily charging towards the room where the brunette helplessly waited.

 XXXXXX

“God Serena, are you OK?” Bernie was hobbling across the lobby as Serena came bursting through the doors of her block. Taking in the flushed cheeks and the tear stains of the woman in front of her, she panicked. “He didn’t hurt you, or touch you did he? If he did I’ll go up there and bloody kill him.” Bernie was halfway to the main door ready to go and confront the man herself before Serena grabbed her arm.

“Bernie, I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me but I can’t say he was too pleased to find me in his apartment. What happened to having my back? I thought you were going to call if he was coming.”

Bernie dropped her eyes and scuffed her shoes against the floor, looking a bit sheepishly at the brunette. “I dropped my phone, broke the screen - sorry. Not so great in a crisis as it turns out.” Serena took pity on her and reached out gently to stroke her arm. Bernie upturned her face at Serena’s soft touch and a gentle smile lightened her features before her brow furrowed once more. “Anyway, nevermind that, what happened?”

Serena paused and looked around the lobby before dropping her voice to just a whisper. ”Let’s get upstairs and I’ll tell you all about it.” She grabbed Bernie’s arm and practically dragged her back to the lift.

XXXXXX

“Seriously?” Bernie’s eye’s went wide with shock and she pursed her lips tight in an effort to control herself but it was useless as she vividly imagined the scene Serena had just described, she belted out a loud, honking laugh.

“I don’t see what you are laughing at I was the one over there, the one who had to come face-to-face with that!” Serena cast her eyes down, a new wave of shame rushing up her chest and filling her cheeks again. Bernie tried to compose herself but the more she tried the more uncontrollable her laugh became. “Stop it Bernie, it’s not funny” but Serena couldn’t help the giggle that escaped. “Oh that poor woman” she started laughing, “imagine being walked in on like that.” They were lost now as Bernie starting honking once more and tears started rolling down Serena’s cheeks.

“So they do this every year then?”

“Apparently, they treat it like a holiday, although I was unable to get too many details from Mrs Bliss herself.” Serena’s face creased again and she couldn’t speak for laughing, “The mask and gag she was wearing made it very hard to understand what she was saying. The young lady joining their intimate party was wearing the most interesting outfit though."

“How on earth did you explain getting caught?”

“I took my hospital pass and said I was a doctor and that I was in the building when your friend Mr Fletcher reported groaning coming from their apartment. I was concerned when I found the door open and was just checking for anyone injured inside.”

“Good thinking Miss Marple, we’ll make a sleuth of you yet.” Bernie joked.

“Well Cagney, find yourself another Lacey next time!” Serena teased back earning a wounded puppy pout from Bernie in exchange.

“Hold on a minute what about that big bag we saw him dragging down the street and into someone else’s skip?”

“That’s a good point actually. One last mystery to solve before I hang up my deerstalker? I’ll go have a look and be right back.” Serena winked cheekily at Bernie and sauntered towards the door.

XXXXXX

“Well what did you find?” Bernie had been limping impatiently around the apartment for the past 20 minutes waiting for Serena to return.

“Took some doing Bernie, the bags were gone, but one of them had obviously split open at some point as I found these.” Serena pulled her hand from her pocket and tossed the item contained in it towards Bernie. Bernie, still leaning on her cane heavily, juggled the item and caught it with the tip of her little finger, wobbling a bit in the process but managing to stay upright. Bernie twirled the pair of handcuffs around her finger and let out a light snort. “Those and a few well worn buckles and straps plus one outfit which I was not going to lay my hands on for love or money. Looks like Mr and Mrs Bliss got themselves some new kit and didn’t want to put the embarrassing evidence of their holiday adventures in their own wheelie bin.”

“Each to their own I suppose.” Bernie said looking at the handcuffs somewhat sceptically.

“I don’t know, in the right company, I think it might be fun to give them a whirl.” Serena smirked slightly at Bernie and raised her eyebrow enjoying watching Bernie bluster and flush in response. “Anyway Major, how come all of a sudden you are back on your feet and walking? I thought you told me you were weeks away from that.” Bernie flushed again, all of a sudden very interested in the toes of her shoes.

“Erm, yes well it seems when you like someone, I mean like them quite a lot, and you think that someone is in danger, ahem, anything is possible.” Bernie lifted her eyes up to watch Serena through her fringe shyly.

“Are you saying you like me, Major?” Serena’s eyes twinkled at Bernie.

“I more than like you.” Bernie looked Serena straight in the eye, her expression unguarded and vulnerable for once. Fear and anticipation mixing across her features.

Serena felt her heart beat a bit faster, and a warm rush migrate downward to her stomach and beyond. “Well Major the clouds have cleared and the sun is shining at last. Let’s see if your physical improvement is sufficient to take a girl out for a coffee, shall we?” she smiled, offering Bernie the crook of her arm.

Bernie grinned back and looping her arm through Serena’s they walked out turning her back on the window overlooking the man in Apartment 12.

**Author's Note:**

> In case you couldn't tell I have a bit of a love of respinning classic films with a twist :)


End file.
